Olympics

Canoeist Wolffhardt makes it to the semi-finals

Viktoria Wolffhardt

(Bild: GEPA)

As expected, Viktoria Wolffhardt and Felix Oschmautz made it through to the semi-finals of the whitewater slalom at the Olympic Games on Tuesday. Wolffhardt finished 17th in the canoe single to qualify for the semi-finals on Wednesday (3.30 pm). Oschmautz finished 18th in the kayak single, which means he will also be involved in the semi-finals on Thursday (3.30 pm).

Wolffhardt, who had managed to get a place in the ÖOC squad as a late entrant, improved by around four seconds in the second - this time flawless - run and finished 10.95 seconds behind the Czech Gabriela Satkova. That was enough to progress in 17th place out of 18 skiers. The Lower Austrian was "happy that it worked out", as she emphasized in the ORF interview. "You have to keep your focus from top to bottom, that was particularly difficult in the first run."

Oschmautz, who finished fourth in Tokyo 2021, picked up four penalty seconds in each of the two runs, improved slightly in the second attempt and finished 9.98 seconds behind the French fastest of the day Titouan Castryck. The Carinthian finished 18th out of 20 athletes. "These mistakes are clearly the reason why I wasn't right at the front," summarized Oschmautz. "My tactic was to concentrate on getting through. When it comes to medals, I know that I have to attack. Today was okay, I'm on the right track." The final runs of the top 10 on Wednesday and Thursday are scheduled for two hours after the semi-finals.

Whitewater slalom, men, single kayak - preliminary heat (top 20 in the semi-finals):
1st Titouan Castryck (FRA) 1:20.09 min.
Next: 18th Felix Oschmautz (AUT) +9.98 sec.

Whitewater slalom, women, single canoe - preliminary heat (top 18 in semi-final):
1. Gabriela Satkova (CZE) 1:39.44 min.
Next: 17th Viktoria Wolffhardt (AUT) +10.95 sec.